Windmill Farms Golden
Retrievers
Multipurpose
Golden Retrievers
Emphasis on Hunt & Field
“Best friends aren't
born; they're made one great memory at a time.”
(Sheila & Puppies 2008)
~Links For The Following
Information~
Litter
Information Due Dec 2011
OFA, CERF & PRA Health Clearances
Providence UT Training Grounds –
Cache Valley Utah – Bridgerland
“
“
Lady Sheila of WM Farms
Call Name = Sheila
http://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=214413
http://www.offa.org/results.html?all=SR28455001&x=11&y=1
|
Name: |
Lady
Sheila of WM Farms |
Sire:
SR08543608 |
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Registration: |
AKC
Golden Retriever |
Dam:
SR13639603 |
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Sex: |
Female |
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Color: |
Medium
Golden |
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Birth date: |
August
20, 2005 |
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OFA Number |
Registry |
Test/Film Date |
Report Date |
Age |
Final Conclusion |
|
GR-31282 |
CERF |
September
12, 2007 |
September
12, 2007 |
25 |
Tested
06,07,09 |
|
GR-93638G24F-PI |
HIPS |
August
24, 2007 |
September
19, 2007 |
24 |
GOOD |
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GR-EL16457F24-PI |
ELBOW |
August
24, 2007 |
September
19, 2007 |
24 |
NORMAL |
Test Performed: prcd Mutation Test for PRAOptigen Accession #: 08-686 February 4, 2008
Sample Type: Blood
Test Results: Genotype of Sheila
is Normal/Clear.
Risk for developing prcd-PRA: This dog will NEVER develop the prcd form of PRA (progressive rod-cone degeneration form of
Progressive Retinal Atrophy). Note that
PRA in Golden Retrievers appears to consist of at least two different genetic
defects. Neither of which are found in Sheila.
Significance for breeding: Genetically
Normal/Clear dogs can be bred to any dog and will produce no pups affected with
the prcd form of PRA.
Natural Upland Game Hunter
Training Emphases – Pheasant, Mt. Grouse, Hunt Test,
Obedience, Frisbee
Owner/Trainer: Jed Packer
Sheila’s Litter History:
Stud #1 2007-Flyway's
October Pardner MH*** WCX - 9 Puppies
Stud #2 2008-Can. Triple CH FTCH AFTCH OTCH Firemark's Push
Comes to Shove Can. WCX Am***- 5 Puppies
Stud #3 2009-HRCH UH Missiquash's Kajun
Buckskin Jake MH WCX CGC 2009 – 8 Puppies
Stud #4 2010-NDC NMFR RockErin Red River Ruckus ***- 4 Puppies
Sheila: Our best natural and savvy upland hunting
dog! A western breed multi-generation upland & water fowl hunting
lines. From a healthy litter of 11,
she’s a retrieving machine with confidence on land and especially in water. A
strong family trait evidenced in her progeny. Sheila possesses what we think is
a main component in the hunter’s dog, cooperative behavior. Which
makes working with her in the field an absolute pleasure. She’s not an
independent, “my way”; raise the blood pressure kind of dog. She’s a natural
working dog with heart and really strong natural inborn hunting instincts.
She’s a good looking medium colored girl with good bone structure. She’s
23” tall weighing in at 73 pounds. She’s lightly feathered; flat coated and
grows a tremendous down layer in the winter which has proven out on our
snowshoe overnighters. She has really nice angulation
blending front and rear actions for a smooth, graceful and sure footed gait.
She is eager to please, intelligent, a powerful swimmer, with a high endurance,
excellent nose, cold weather proven and very trainable. Our extended family owns and farms several hundred
acres in Northern Utah. As a result, Sheila’s passion is hunting pheasants
around the Bear River and grouse in the Wasatch Mountains. She is amateur
trained and handled. Very fast on downed
birds and very disappointed if we miss. Sheila has been a visitor to our
daughter’s elementary school who passed away in May 2008. While there, my 9
year old confidently demonstrated Sheila’s obedience and tricks in front of her
classmates. With a nice ON/OFF switch, she exhibits her all purpose attitude as
she spends time playing in the backyard with our children or curled up on her
pillow for an evening with the family.
***************************************************************************************
Firemark’s Bridgerland Wildfire JH
Call
name = Bridger “The Mountain Dog”
http://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=382931
Owners:
Paul G. & Jed P.
Named
after Jim Bridger, a Mountain Man, who was among the foremost trappers, scouts
and guides the western United States has encountered. We live in the heart of Bridgerland, Cache Valley Utah. In the early 1800’s our
valley was used a a
rendezvous and “caching” location for the fur trade. Now known for its scenic
vistas, powdery snow and high mountain lakes, Bridger
seems destined to carry on his names legacy as a devout explorer and
guide. After a terrific fall hunt in the
Western Rockies, Bridger’s completely at home hunting the mountain maples,
rocky crags or sloping foothills for upland game birds. He became known as “The Mountain Dog”.
Welcome to
Bridger’s-land!
Excellent Upland Game Hunter
Training Emphases – Hunt Test Competition, Pheasant, Mt.
Grouse, Mt. Chukar
Watch Bridger run the 3rd leg of his JH, 1st
Water Retrieve
(FYI It’s a camera
phone = no zoom)
Call
Name = Bridger
Owners
= Paul Gibbons & Jed Packer
|
AKC Name: |
Firemark’s Bridgerland Wildfire |
Sire:
FC AFC LaCrosse Max Q
Jake JH OSFDHF |
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Registration: |
AKC
Golden Retriever |
Dam:
Real Gold Black Night Nyx JH |
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Sex: |
Male |
Stud
Service inquires welcome |
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Color: |
Dark
Golden |
-
Working toward Field & Hunt Titles |
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Birth date: |
Feb
7, 2010 |
-
OFA Prelim & CERF @ 1 year |
|
OFA Number |
Registry |
Test/Film Date |
Report Date |
Age |
Final Conclusion |
|
CERF |
2010 & 2011 |
9 &21 Months |
Tested 2010, 2011
Clear |
Preliminary
Hip and Elbow report shown as EXCELLENT RATING for hips and no sign of
dysplasia in his elbows.
Test Results: Genotype of Bridger is Normal/Clear. Optigen Accession #: 10-9566
Risk for developing prcd-PRA: This dog will NEVER develop the prcd form of PRA (progressive rod-cone degeneration form of
Progressive Retinal Atrophy). Note that
PRA in Golden Retrievers appears to consist of at least two different genetic
defects. Neither of which are found in Bridger.
Significance for breeding: Genetically
Normal/Clear dogs can be bred to any dog and will produce no pups affected with
the prcd form of PRA.
About Bridger – This is a line breeding on Wraith’s Duncan MH*** OS (NAFC FC Topbrass Cotton son), the top golden field producer of
his generation. Why did we choose offspring from
this breeding? As listed below Duncan is one of the best AFC & All Age
producers all time. In addition, Bridger is the Grandson of FC AFC FTCH AFTCH Cdn
OTCH TNT's Explosion, FDHF, OHF, Am UD, FDHF OS. The
only FC AFC FTCH AFTCH OTCH Golden EVER!
Fall 2011- Bridger
earned his (JH) Jr Hunter title June 2011 in Salt
Lake City. Passed 4 for 4 for both land
and water retrieves. Aug 2011 “He is ready for his
SH.” Good marker with lots of drive! He continues to grow and mature. He’s
showing great promise with his speed, intelligence and biddable personality.
Structurally he’s still maturing and built like a race horse with a blood red
coat. I was really impressed with his advancement when I saw him run this
spring. More importantly, this guy can
really HUNT! I’ve had him out several
times this fall and he’s doing fantastic.
All
Time Top Golden Sires Producing AFC Champions (Source K9data.com)
|
1 |
AFC HOLWAY BARTY OS |
2/22/1971 |
Male |
7 |
AFC |
# Offspring |
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2 |
AFC YANKEE'S SMOKE'N RED DEVIL OS |
1/18/1978 |
Male |
7 |
AFC |
# Offspring |
|
3 |
FC-AFC BONNIE BROOKS ELMER OS FDHF |
1/27/1965 |
Male |
5 |
AFC |
# Offspring |
|
4 |
NAFC-FC TOPBRASS COTTON OS FDHF |
7/6/1978 |
Male |
5 |
AFC |
# Offspring |
|
5 |
FC-AFC OAKCREEK'S SIR DORCHESTER OS FDHF |
1/30/1948 |
Male |
4 |
AFC |
# Offspring |
|
6 |
POIKA OF HANDJEM OS |
11/1/1961 |
Male |
4 |
AFC |
# Offspring |
|
7 |
WRAITH'S DUNCAN MH *** OS |
10/14/1984 |
Male |
4 |
AFC |
# Offspring |
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8 |
JOLLY AGAIN OF OUILMETTE CD *** OS |
10/12/1961 |
Male |
3 |
AFC |
# Offspring |
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9 |
FC-AFC KINIKE CHANCELLOR OS FDHF |
8/20/1969 |
Male |
3 |
AFC |
# Offspring |
|
10 |
STILROVIN BEARCAT OS |
6/15/1953 |
Male |
3 |
AFC |
# Offspring |
|
11 |
FC-AFC TIGATHOE'S KIOWA II OS FDHF |
11/11/1971 |
Male |
3 |
AFC |
# Offspring |
|
12 |
FC WRAITHS HTR MN BRO MACDHUIBH OS |
10/14/1995 |
Male |
3 |
AFC |
# Offspring |
Top Sires for producing All-Age Goldens
|
1 |
AFC HOLWAY BARTY OS |
2/22/1971 |
Male |
42 |
AllAge |
Offspring |
|
2 |
AFC YANKEE'S SMOKE'N RED DEVIL OS |
1/18/1978 |
Male |
37 |
AllAge |
Offspring |
|
3 |
NAFC-FC TOPBRASS COTTON OS FDHF |
7/6/1978 |
Male |
36 |
AllAge |
Offspring |
|
4 |
AFC EMBERAIN RUGBY WCX OS FDHF |
3/16/1999 |
Male |
26 |
AllAge |
Offspring |
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5 |
FC WRAITHS HTR MN BRO MACDHUIBH OS |
10/14/1995 |
Male |
23 |
AllAge |
Offspring |
|
6 |
FC-AFC CHIEF SANDS OS FDHF |
12/3/1966 |
Male |
22 |
AllAge |
Offspring |
|
7 |
FC-AFC TANGELO'S SIDE KICK OS FDHF |
5/23/1981 |
Male |
22 |
AllAge |
Offspring |
|
8 |
FC-AFC TIGATHOE'S KIOWA II OS FDHF |
11/11/1971 |
Male |
18 |
AllAge |
Offspring |
|
9 |
FC-AFC GLENHAVEN HTRS MN BARONET MH OS FDHF |
6/15/1996 |
Male |
16 |
AllAge |
Offspring |
|
10 |
FC-AFC WINDBREAKERS MIGHTY MO OS FDHF |
3/28/1983 |
Male |
16 |
AllAge |
Offspring |
|
11 |
WRAITH'S
DUNCAN MH *** OS |
10/14/1984 |
Male |
16 |
AllAge |
Offspring |
Stud Services:
REQUIRED BREEDING DOCUMENTATION OF HEALTH TESTING AND
VACCINATIONS:
1. Copy of OFA Certification (Only bitches with a rating
of Fair, Good or Excellent will be bred) Prelim OFA results may be accepted at
the stud dog owner’s discretion based on results. Copy of PennHip
will also be accepted with a qualify
rate of 60% or above.
2. Copy of Negative Brucellosis test within 2 weeks of
breeding.
3. Copy of current Rabies, DA2PP and Bordetella
vaccinations.
4. CERF Exam or equivalent eye exam.
5.
Recessive prcd-PRA or normal/clear
Responsible breeders
have an inherent responsibility to breed healthy dogs. Breed good dogs,
buy good dogs and train good dogs.
Trainer/Training Updates: Laura N. http://www.northmountainretrievers.com/
North Mountain Retrievers,
breeding, raising and training retrievers since 1994. Located in
Middleton Idaho they specialize in training for hunting, AKC field trials and
hunt tests.
Bridger’s Father
FC AFC LaCrosse Max Q Jake JH OSFDHF - 5 All Age Wins
AKC SN873456/06
OFA Hips GR-81624F24M-PI
CERF Eye
GR-28895N/2005-40
OFA Heart GR-CA11252/58M/C-PI-ECHO
prcd-PRA normal/clear
• National Derby List
• QAA at 2 years of
age
• First All-Age win at 3
• AFC at 4
• FC at 5
Basically…..He’s a
pretty awesome!
Bridger’s Mother
REAL GOLD BLACK NIGHT "NYX"JH
AKC SR40122101
Hips- GR-97562E24F-NOPI - Excellent
Elbows- GR-EL19504F24-NOPI
CERF- GR-CA15389/20F/C-NOPI
Cardiac- GR-CA15389/20F/C-NOPI
PRA Clear by Parentage
Nyx run at
the National Specialty in 2009. She has an exceptional pedigree—the perfect
combination of biddability, intelligence and go
power. She has an exceptional water attitude. Nyx is
the daughter of FC AFC FTCH AFTCH Cdn OTCH TNT's Explosion, FDHF, OHF, Am UD, FDHF OS. The
only FC AFC FTCH AFTCH OTCH Golden EVER!
************************************************************************************
River’s
Red Dawn of WM Farms
Call
Name = River
http://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=427902
|
AKC Name: |
River’s
Red Dawn of WM Farms |
Sire:
NDC NMFR RockErin
Red River Ruckus *** |
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Registration: |
AKC
Golden Retriever-SR65642703 |
Dam:
Lady Sheila of WM Farms |
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Sex: |
Female |
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Color: |
Dark
Golden |
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Birth date: |
December
22, 2010 |
Breeder/Owner:
Jed Packer
About River: Another strong FC daughter from Red who is 1 win away from receiving his FC title. River is our long awaited Red x Sheila daughter. As a previous
owner & trainer of River’s sibling, Ruby, I’m a big fan of Red’s field
line. The strength of Red’s line coupled with a multigenerational hunting line
of Sheila is really exciting as she’ll be used in our upland hunts. I’ve seen
tremendous success in outcross matches which include titled field and strong
hunting lines producing athletic, smart and biddable hunters with useage in a variety of ways.
Training: (12 Months old) Healing and
delivering to hand. Working singles at 40-60 yards. Seeing very good marking
skills and stick-to-itiveness! River is currently training with a professional
in ID. She is working towards her Hunt Test skill set which will be attempted
next spring. She is biddable, fast and fun to work with. Agility and athleticism as expected. I’ve
really enjoy working with her and excited to see her progress.
About
her Mother-Sheila (See
her bio above)
About
her Father-Red
AKC
Ran One Senior Hunt
Test at 15 Months - Passed
Ran Two Master Hunt
Test – Passed (Have not had time for MH with QUAL schedule)
DERBY - 14 Points in
7 Trials NATIONAL DERBY LIST
Ran 1st Derby in Oct
2004 at 16 Months - 3rd Place
Oct 2004 Ran 2 more
Tulsa Retriever Club
March 2005 - 1st Place
Next Trial - Texas
Panhandle Retriever Club April 2005 - 1st Place
Sooner Retriever Club
April 2005 - 3rd Place
Cimarron Retriever
Club April 2005- JAM
QUAL
Pikes Peak Retriever Club
- July 2006 - 2nd Place QAA- Handled by Joseph McCann
Colorado Women's
Retriever Club July 2007 1st Place - Handled by Judi Carter
8 RJ/Jams
AMATEUR
Tulsa Retriever Club
– October 2007 – 1st Place – Handled by Judi Carter
Jayhawk Retriever Club –
April 2008 – 1st Place – Handled by Judi Carter
Qualified in 2008 for
National Amateur Championship Stake in Stowe, Vermont
NFRA- National Field
Retriever Association www.nfra.us
Point System for NFRA
is FTW (Field Test Winner) = 1st Place 5 points
All others are
Pass/Fail, A Pass = 3 points
2005 National Derby
Champion (NDC Title) - Awarded to the dog with the most points for the year.
Red had 51 points making him the high point Derby dog for the year and also the
highest pointed dog ever for NFRA.
6 Wins = 30 Points 7
Passes = 21 Points Total 51 Points
2005 National Master
Champion - Master 6 Master Passes in 2005 Qualified
him for the National Master
Won Master National
(10 Series) Nov 05 received the NMFR (National Master Champion) Title
Open 16 Points 2 FTW
= 10 Points 2 Passes = 6 Points
1 Wins away from his FC Title!
Tribute to Clarissa
We found out on Clarissa’s 10th birthday just before Christmas
07’ that she has a stage 3 anaplastic astrocytoma located in
the center of her brain. Clarissa passed away 5 months later on May 23, 2008.
We traveled 90 miles to Salt Lake City for 42 days of intense chemo and
radiation without success. She amazed everyone with her courage, kindness and
never once complained. It is an honor to be called her father as I learned more
from her than she can ever imagine. We wish to thank everyone especially
friends, family, employers and neighbors for your thoughts, prayers and kind
acts. We also wish to thank the individuals and organizations of: Primary
Children’s Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Macey’s,
Associated Foods and Providence Elementary. Your acts of help and kindness have
changed our lives for good. Clarissa loved golden retrievers and especially
puppies. In her lifetime she loved, kissed and held most the puppies from both Sheila’s
litters. Consider them kissed by an angel! Like me, Clarissa loved to be
outside. She loved to walk in the fields with Sheila, Ruby and me. She loved to
garden and sell her home grown lettuce and our Jam & salsa at our local
farmers markets. She is sorely missed and often thought of. A tribute to my
daughter: My
Sweet Clarissa
The tenacity
and wonderful demeanor of this 10 year was something to experience. Each spring
our local elementary schools, involve the kids in a 1 mile race named the
“Wellsville Mile” It’s designed to promote health awareness and exercise.
Clarissa was not to be denied and emphatically insisted that she run the race!
Bound to her wheel chair, she asked us to stop the last 30 yards so she could
walk to the finish line. With her mother’s arm extended, she walked the last 30
yards and crossed the finished line as an inspired crowd looked on. Hardly able
to stand, sick, weak and swollen, she passed away in her parents arms a few
days later.
June 09 Update: Thanks to Mrs.
Anderson and a host of others including Providence Elementary, Clarissa’s
memory has been captured by her wonderful 5th grade school teacher!
Through generous donations and Mrs. Anderson’s procurement of a grant,
Providence Elementary has created and dedicated a wonderful outdoor classroom
in behalf of Clarissa named “Clarissa’s Classroom”. Dedicated to our children
that have fought and suffered from cancer.
The new outdoor classroom includes a human sundial, discovery center,
several beautiful plants and of course a garden center.
In addition to this, Providence City has created and named a new soccer
field after Clarissa. The area includes a children’s park, soccer field and
walking loop. As a parent the loss is
tremendous, but having kind people memorialize our daughter’s life is humbling.
Thank you!
November 2011 Northern Utah Pheasant Hunt
Report
This
year I’ve spnt more time upland training young dogs
and seeing what they’re made of. Along
with my friends Mike and Paul we’ve hunted mountain chukars
and valley pheasants. There have been
plenty of birds, good success rates and Bridger is well ahead of his time. Once River gets back next fall, I’m going to
end up with 3 fantastic upland dogs!
My Thoughts on Hunting vs. Retrieving
2010- Mike
and I had just started hunting when Gus flushed a nice rooster. He cut sharply
behind us when Mike’s shot folded and dropped him into a large patch of weeds
and grass. The call of “dead bird” echoed out to the dogs as we all hustled
over to the location. The bird was gone,
nowhere to be found. The four dogs, 2
dads and 2 boys started hunting the area. After 5 minutes, enlarging our search
area with each pass, we all came up blank.
It was then; I noticed that Sheila wasn’t present in our search party. I called out to Mike to see if she was over
in his area. “Not here” he replied. I
then called out to the boys to see if she was over where they were looking?
“Not here” was again the reply. After a
couple of whistles she suddenly appeared about 30 yards away bordering an
adjacent hay field separated by a barbed wire fence. In her mouth was what we
were all looking for. I stood in amazement for a minute wondering how and why
she figured it out. As near as we could
deduce, her mark was precise, after arriving at location she began hunting the
bird which quickly ran directly away from us.
She found the scent and run him down in the adjacent hay field. Is it genetics or training? Both? Why do some dogs just get the hunting part so
well? Sheila has been trained to a JH/SH
level. She doesn’t have a title in the HT or FT arena. She has never been
forced fetched, but delivers to hand. She’s never been professionally trained
to upland hunt but quarters nicely and hunts close. She’s doing everything I ask….naturally. I
don’t know all the answers, but I would rather work with a dog that wants to do
the things they are breed to do naturally, rather than forced.
2011 Hunts #1 Grouse & Chuckars
(Black Smith Fork) #2 & 3 Pheasants (Newton)
Philosophy:
The success of our future Golden Retriever
populations falls squarely on the quality of the sires and dams used with each
new generation. Their degree of
excellence is expressed in the earned titles, field work, conformation,
attitude and health. The history of the Golden Retriever began around the early
1900’s in Scotland, with the original intent of developing the perfect hunting
dog for both sport and sustenance. With meticulous record keeping a handful of
people like Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, a British
aristocrat, who later became the first Lord Tweedmouth,
from Brook House, Park Lane, London dedicated their lives in the development of
this breed. While careless & rampant breeding happen in earnest today,
there a many breeders that continue the original intent while adding sporting
breed qualities. Powerful, active dogs, that are
structurally sound and well balanced. Golden Retrievers possess a personality
that is eager, alert and self-confident. Any breeder becomes a steward &
contributor to the outcome this wonderful breed. As such, methodical
consideration should be given to each new life. According to the AKC the Golden
Retriever is a Sporting Breed. They love to work with a “Give me a job”
attitude. Sure, Goldens make great family members,
their great with kids and are highly trainable. Because of their versatility,
many people are proving how much more they can become. Goldens
are excelling in agility trials, as impairment companions, rescue dogs, hunt
trials and field tests. We keep these goals in mind with any new litter. Besides all this, they love to hunt. The
opportunity for most folks to hunt, train or prove this fine breed is
diminishing or difficult logistically.
Today’s Hunt, Agility and Field test programs offer a wonderful option
and are set up to prove dog & owner capabilities. Fortunately, we have
family members that own or have access to 100’s of acres of prime farmland in
Northern UT. It’s where the rubber hits the roads for us as find to out what
kind sporting bred dogs we really have. We hunt and train on wild birds in all
kinds of terrain. Young dogs are trained at bird ranches giving them confidence
with each success. Obedience and desire are a must. Wanting the best
multi-purpose Golden Retrievers means breeding to the highest quality field and
obedience studs available. Our goal with each litter is to
produce golden retrievers with desire, trainability and easy to live with
temperaments. We look for dogs with classic field bred conformation &
drive. Meaning,
pups will have good bone alignment, deep chests, agile, go all day, athletic
bodies. Good health is of utmost importance to us therefore;
both parents will have their health clearances. Best of all, regardless of how
you use them; they’ll be wonderful members of your family.
Puppies will be well socialized and include a puppy pack with pedigrees and
other helpful information. They will be vet checked, dewclaws removed, wormed
and vaccinated. The Golden's desire to please is legendary-making them a top
obedience competitor and first-rate companion.
Retrieving desire: Dogs have different degrees of
interest in retrieving. Greater the drive, then the greater
the chance of overall success in training and competitive performance.
One can have pulsating drive but if paired with a lack of intelligence or a low
degree of tractability, then the dog will probably not be successful.
Intelligence: Dogs, like people, have different
levels of intelligence. The smarter dog progresses more quickly in training and
also retains more than one who has a lesser degree of native intelligence.
Tractability: This is a very important
characteristic of the elite retriever. The ideal dog should be easy to control
and be malleable. The opposite of tractability is stubbornness and a dog that is
prone to be dishonest and purposefully look for ways to defy the instructions
of the handler.
To make this happen, you MUST spend the time with them!
***December 2011 – FT/Multi-purpose litter announcement***
X
Sheila X Bridger
AKC= Lady Sheila of WM Farms X Firemark's Bridgerland Wildfire JH
Titled-Hunted-Field Tested
Puppies
born December 27th
7
Females 5 Males
See a live video. Mom and offspring are doing
very well.
Deposit
= $150 Pups = $650
Hip
& Elbow & CERF guarantee – Deposit holds choice and gender – First
come, First served
Contact
= 435-770-1276 or jedpacker233@gmail.com
8-generation COI < 1% outcross
breeding: http://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=455818
I’m
expecting smart, biddable, athletic dogs with a strong water attitude.
Bridger
will leave for training in California Dec 28.
Sheila (See bio above) is a
multi-generational western bred upland game and waterfowl hunter. Sheila
is our very best natural hunter. Whether she’s playing with the kids in
the backyard, going on a snowshoe trip in the back country, catching a Frisbee
in the park or relaxing by the fire, she is truly multipurpose. Get her in the
field and she is a tenacious upland hunter. I hunt and train for upland
skills and she has them! She’s been a
fantastic producer of litters from some of the top FT dogs in the US and
Canada. I own and train one of Sheila’s daughters, who exhibit’s the
desired traits we are looking for. Most of all, she is classic Golden.
CERF=Clear (Tested 3 times)
PRA = Clear
OFA Elbows = Normal OFA Hips = Good
Bridger (See bio above) is a line
breed Golden on Wraith’s Duncan MH*** OS (NAFC FC Topbrass
Cotton son), the top golden field producer of his generation. Duncan is one of
the best AFC & All Age producers all time. In addition, Bridger is the
Grandson of FC AFC FTCH AFTCH Cdn OTCH TNT's
Explosion, FDHF, OHF, Am UD, FDHF OS. The only FC AFC
FTCH AFTCH OTCH Golden EVER! Last spring Bridger passed his JH easily 4
for 4. He’s is ready for his SH (Sr. Hunter and if time permits we’ll add a
couple legs of his MH (Master Hunter)). He’ll continue to earn the titles
but what Bridger has is speed, endurance and spot on marking skills. I’ve been
out upland hunting many times this fall and for a younger dog, Bridger really
has the package. He’s all over the flushing and retrieving but the
neatest attribute is his quartering skills. During a recent hunt he flushed and
jumped only to snag the pheasant clean out of the air. He was a good 2’-3’ feet in the air when he
caught it. Paul and I looked at each
other and wondered why we are carrying our heavy shotguns! He’s very bright and
picks up the desired flushing skills with ease. Bridger is my race horse
& the fastest dog I’ve owned. His speed and athleticism are marked
qualities. He’s a good looking guy at 61 lbs with a flashy dark red coat. He’s
classic golden and a buddy with everyone. We love him and he has a very bright
future.
CERF = Clear (Twice)
PRA = Clear
Prelim OFA Hips = Excellent
Prelim OFA Elbows = Clear
Bridger’s father, Jake, is one of the
most well-known and prolific producing male Goldens
in the Country. Jake was on the National Derby list and has 6 all age wins to
his credit. He earned his AFC at 4 years old and his FC at 5. In 2005 he was
Top Amateur Golden (tied) and then qualified for the 2006 & 2007 National
Amateur and the 2007 National Open. Jake is the winner of the 2006 Torch Flinn-Tigathoe Memorial Trophy, 2010 FTCH Rip Trophy and
the 2010 FTCH Pirate of Golden Valley Trophy. He has produced a Field Champion,
multiple QAA/MH/HRCH dogs, and many other performance
titled dogs. 100% Amateur Trained! Puppies will have standard OFA Hip and Elbow
guarantee. Dew claws removed, vet checked and full registration. $650 male of female. Deposit =
$150 to hold choice/position and gender. First come, first served. Breeding
with a purpose, breeding for health and breeding for client needs, puppies will
go very fast.
Josh & Scout had a great 2010
Opening Day Duck hunt in Utah County 2010.
Scout is a great family dog and beloved
friend. Josh has been a fantastic owner/trainer and a good example of diving in
and learning the HT system. I’ve seen
Josh and Scout together and they are true buddies. It’s amazing what a good dog can do to a person.
Scout is from the Sheila X Opie
litter.
|
Chris
contacted me recently and shared a couple of photos of his fall pheasant hunt
09’. Sasha is a Jake X Sheila pup who looks like she is doing well in the
field. “Here are a couple of pictures from Sasha's first hunt.
She'll be turning one in a few weeks. Hope your family is doing well!” Chris
Mike and
his brother dropped by early to pick a puppy and look over the litter. We invited them over for dinner and enjoyed
an evening of stories and well, more stories.
Mike had recently lost an old hunting buddy and terrific dog. You don’t replace an old buddy but the time
had now arrived to start a new chapter and welcome a new partner &
hunting pal. For most of us, our dogs are part of our family and life and not
something we stick in a kennel out back and feed because we have to. Mike was
no exception in his admiration for the golden breed and quality dogs. By the
end of the day, all I could hope was that this new little guy would grow into
the dream dog Mike was hoping for.
Mike e-mailed me recently and sent some photo’s.
Looks like he’s doing very well. “I just took these this morning while we
were scouting hunting grounds. Max never stops surprising me. He is very
energetic and smart. He always has his nose to the ground and is curious
about everything. He also has no fear, which is good and bad at times.”
The Sharp
family contacted me weeks before our last Sheila X Jake litter. They described what they wanted and I told
them what our plans were. A lot of
talk and discussion went into the process but as you can tell from the
picture and the comments, they’re a very happy family. I haven’t seen all the pictures from the
Jake x Sheila litter but it sounds like we have drive and beauty! Lilly is a real looker! |
|
“Hi Jed, I just wanted to share some new developments
about Lilly. She is getting so big, 40+ lbs and still the biggest cuddle bug.
I have never seen a dog who likes to be cuddled so much! She is learning more
everyday. Right now with the heat in the high 90's
low 100's her favorite thing to do is swim in the pool. If she is hot and no
one is in the pool she sits and cries at the gate. Whenever we let her into
the pool area she just jumps in. The kids taught her to dive off the diving
board (2ft off the water) and now she does it just for fun. She cries
pitifully if the kids try to swim without her. She LOVES to retrieve from the
water. She will bring anything you throw and if you won’t play with her she
will throw her own ball in and go after it!! She loves to bury her head under
the water and get her toys. The last few days she has decided to
"save" us and she will grab our hand from under the water, wrap her
front paws around our forearm and swim/drag us to the steps. She is so gentle
the whole time too. She is so cute! She looks so much like Sheila, so
beautiful!! We love her so much!” Hope all is well with you and your family, Take care, Sharp Family |
Colleen
from California contacted me looking for a SAR Search & Rescue dog from the
Sheila & Push litter. She described
what she was looking for in behavior, drive and sociality. I was pretty
confident in the litter but I have to admit in the back of my mind I was
keeping my fingers crossed. When Colleen arrived at our house I handed her a
nice female and told her that I believe this is the one for her. She took the
puppy into our garage and ran Maddie through a series
of tests used to exploit disposition and the behavior necessary to aid in her
success as a SAR dog. Maddie passed with high marks; Colleen smiled and said
“We’ll Take Her!”
“Hi Jed,
Maddie has moved right in and taken control. She is
just a lovely, smart, little girl, but a goofball! This picture is from her
first training day at Search and Rescue 3/29/08. At this age the trainers play
age appropriate games with her to socialize her with other trainers, and we
encourage her to clamber over all the stuff in the disaster zone. She gets to
follow around the big dogs when they are doing ground search problems -
Socializing her to other dogs of various ages and introducing her to the
trained behaviors. Her breeding shows she loves to run and dive into the water
and swim just for the fun of it. Getting her not to,
is the challenge. Maddie is about 60 lbs and the Vet
says she is one of the most perfect goldens she's
ever seen. We will be resuming advanced obedience training this week, and if
that goes well resume SAR training in December or January. But I can already
tell from working with her myself, she is much better at focusing her
attention. Regardless of whether she becomes successful at SAR, she has stolen
our hearts and my husband just adores her. She is spoiled of course. She sleeps
at the end of our bed which I never thought my husband would ever think of
allowing before we got her.”
Ann & Grant contacted me from NM where they raise and train horses on a beautiful ranch. They were looking for an all purpose Golden that would fit into their active lifestyle. The Push X Sheila litter caught their eye and we are very happy it did. It looks like Heidi has a wonderful family in a beautiful part or the country. “Hi Jed,
“Heidi is all grown up now. She is undoubtedly the most athletic dog we
have ever had. We love her
temperament. Just a sweetheart! She is very eager to learn…. I have attached
a couple of pictures that capture her spirit and her beauty. I never saw a dog
love the snow as much as she did the day we took these photos. It
must have reminded her of Utah. She's a strong dog and has some serious
running speed. She's a great dog and really has turned out to be
good at being helping with chores and taking care of our other dogs.”
We could not have done any better.
Thanks! Ann and Grant
Once
in a while something happens in life that brings a person back to earth. In the
race to raise and train great multi-purpose goldens
sometimes the human touch gets lost in all of it. This was case between a very special girl and
her very special golden retriever.
Several months ago Marta called me from Washington State. She told me that her 13 year old daughter had
found my website and really, really wanted a puppy from the Opie
litter. She’d looked at several sites
but told her mother that there was a female in that litter especially for
her. At first, I smiled and figured it
was the sweet dream of a 13 year old girl.
Miquela (Mekayla) insisted, had been saving for some
time and sent in a deposit. She told me
her name would be Kola. A Native American name that means friend. Miquela and her father drove to Utah from Washington when
Kola turned 8 weeks old to pick her up. Here’s the rest of the story. Meanwhile, I was
unaware that my 9 year old daughter Clarissa had fallen in love with Kola. She played with her every day. Because of the demeanor of Kola I decided
she’d be the right one for Miquela. Clarissa happened
to be there when Miquela, her father and brother
arrived. I asked Clarissa to go get the puppy we’d chosen for Miquela. When she handed Kola over to Miquela,
Clarissa ran inside. After they left, I
came inside to see where Clarissa had run off to. My wife motioned to her room
and explained what had been going on the last several weeks. I tried to explain to saddest 9 year old in
town that we have a nice dog and that Miquela needed
a nice dog too. As a father, this was one of those tough ones. Recently, Marta sent me and e-mail and a
picture. It’s extremely heart-warming
and worth sharing.
“Dear Jed,
When she
first came to your place in August, I was on business travel so I called
her and asked her what she thought of Kola at first sight and she said
"She's perfect." Ever since, Kola is known in our neighborhood
as the luckiest dog on the planet. She even wags her tail as she walks
with Miquela. After Miquela came to your place to pick up kola with her father
and brother, they went on to Olympia Washington to Ashley Creek Farm which has
been in my family for decades (www.ashleycreek.com). Kola was able to run and play
to her hearts delight. The real heart that was delighted was Miquela's. I've never seen a child so taken with an
animal and I grew up with several. If ever
two souls were intended to meet it was Kola and Miquela.
For the last 3 months Kola has enjoyed living in Naples California
near the famous canals and a huge dog park where she has many friends.
Things are going very well, and she is now about 40 pounds of pure joy.”
Best
Regards from a very happy parent, Marta.
Josh and Lisa of UT stopped by to pick
out a replacement hearing impaired therapy dog. Unfortunately, they lost their
lab to an accident. It was a bitter/sweet evening as they discussed what
happened. I quickly learned about the
time and effort it takes to train a hearing impaired dog. They decided to spend
the next several years with one of Sheila’s daughters. Good Choice! They needed
an intelligent, strong natured dog that was willing to serve them for years to
come. We are very excited for them as they’ve already begun their training.
Here’s what they have to say about Akhila the oldest
daughter and first born of the Opie litter.
“Hi Jed-
I wanted to send a cute picture from Akhila's birthday this year. It was fun since she is
pretty good about letting us put things on her now that she is training with
the service dog vest. We also took Akhila on
her first plane ride to Seattle to visit Josh's family at the end of
June. She sat in the front seats of the plane with us and laid at our feet. She did extremely well throughout the
whole airport / shuttle / rental car process with the large crowds and
distractions aplenty! Her ears perked when we took off the first time but
the way home it was like she was an old pro. She is getting more mature
and loves to learn new things and is great at all the clicker training we do
with her. We tire her out with a lot of walks and Frisbee throwing too!
She has also been swimming so much now that she swims the whole time and
doesn't ever want to get out! Utah Lake has a great place that is quiet
and calm for dogs and people to swim and we've been there a couple times. We
plan to keep working on service dog things for the next year and then start
putting her through the therapy dog training. She has a very gentle and
perfect personality for also being a therapy dog.
Best wishes to you and your family-
Josh and Lisa and Akhila”
George and Shirley of ID, a retired
couple, with a zest for life and love of golden retrievers made the long drive
from Northern ID to meet Sheila and pick out their puppy, Sunny. A beautiful female with a medium golden coat. We had a
wonderful visit and found out how much they really love their dogs! Here’s what
they had to say after picking their puppy.
“Hi Jed, Thank you, thank you, and thank
you. We are loving our little puppy girl.
She is so smart. I can tell that she is going to be the best dog we have ever
had. Jed, here are some recent pics of Sunny.
She has had real good exercise this winter, going cross country skiing with me
and George also takes her out to run. She loves the snow. So she is very
muscular and well filled out as you can see. Isn't she beautiful?”
We took the opportunity to visit with
Andy & Shawna during our visit to Jackson Hole WY fall 10’. Sweep is now 3 years old and we were very
impressed with his training and athleticism. Sweep is flat out fast! He was
tireless as Andy let had him retrieve at the local fair grounds. I was told Shawna does a lot of the training
for 4H agility. He’s been well trained
and taken care of as he gets treated like their own
kid. Another example of fantastic owners
and they told me they wouldn’t trade him for anything. We had a great time swapping stories and
watching Sweep. Thank you for letting us
enjoy your dog for a while.
Andy & Shawna of ID attended a dog
show in a nearby city during the spring 07’. They saw conformation, agility,
obedience and rally competitions. They wanted to match the right breed to their
situation. I was most impressed by how much homework they did. I’m even more
impressed with how they are helping sweep develop. They came away convinced
that a field bred golden was the right thing for them. In addition to being a
family dog, Andy hunts as seen below with Sweeps first duck hunt. Also shown
below are Sweep and Wendy working together at a 4H agility competition. Wendy trains with Sweep at a club for
agility. Wendy recently posed with Sweep
holding a blue and red ribbon after winning her competition. Congratulations!!
“Wendy and Sweep at the Teton County,
WY Fair Show and Go. They didn't get a score, but looked good
together. Sweep proved to be a great jumper. Wendy entered him to
jump at 20". Sweep went over the wings on the side of the jump which
are about 3 feet high! The judge said she'd never had that
happen before. Wendy shows him obedience and showmanship in 2 weeks at our own
fair.”
Tom invited our family to Jackson Hole
WY for a weekend this fall 10’. We got a
chance to see 2 year old Looper for the first
time. Tom has already used him in the Dakato’s upland hunting and wow did we get a treat! Looper is a smooth,
good looking boy that gets right serious about his work. He loves to hunt and his bedside manner is
wonderful. He’s 70lbs of lean muscle
& go juice! Tom told me this is flat out the best dog he’s ever owned. They are great buds as Looper
simply wants to please. Thank you Tom for having us up for a visit and good
luck with this wonderful golden!
Jake X Sheila Litter
Stacy contacted me about replacing and
old friend and a project for a young family. He joins a couple other play mates
on a farm in Montana. Rio will hunt upland birds and keep the boys busy!